12 Ways of Giving: Beza Threads

I woke up this morning dreaming of a few outfits I pinned on Pinterest yesterday.

 

(http://vintagestitch.tumblr.com/post/8109060859)

(http://couldihavethat.blogspot.com/)

 

I was thinking about how I would love a red scarf to accent some of my black and brown outfits, and how I should make sure to grab one while I’m Christmas shopping with Grandma next week. 

I got ready for church and walked in (1/2 an hour early… but that’s another story) and they were selling scarves! Red ones, blue ones, cream ones, striped ones…

I waited to hear what the story was, and I could believe my ears. 

Each scarf sold rescues a girl for one night from sex slavery. 

It’s all part of a program called Beza Threads.  (www.bezathreads.org) They save Ethiopian children from sex slavery and slave labor.

In our minds, slavery is a thing of the past, but in countries like Ethiopia, it’s fairly mainstream.  In fact, they say there are 8.4 million child slaves in the world and 1.8 million kids sold into sex slavery.   

You can read the whole story, but I was shocked to hear this stat: In 1850 a slave cost $40,000 in today’s standards.  Now an average slave costs about $90. 

For every 3,000 scarves sold, the program can save 10 girls from sex slavery.  And taking them out of this life isn’t the end of it.  This is the only job they’ve ever know, they have no way to provide for themselves or any family they may have.  Many of the kids have been abandoned by their family, or taken far from them completely.  Just thinking about it breaks my heart. 

This is definitely a cause I hope to be more involved in. 

PLEASE visit the website at www.bezathreads.org.  Think about giving a scarf to someone for Christmas.  They are amazing quality and a $20 gift with a heart wrenching story. 

I bought two of them myself.  A red one for myself and another for a Christmas gift.  I’ll spend the next two nights being thankful that both me, and another little girl, are free from sex slavery.